This invention relates to a service unit for use in an air conditioning system and, in particular, to a service unit that allows a pre-charged section of a split system to be quickly connected into the system after shipment into the field.
This invention has specific application in the manufactured home industry in which split air conditioning systems are supplied by the seller as part of the home. A split air conditioning system includes an outdoor section and an indoor section each of which contains a heat exchanger coil. The sections are connected by a pair of refrigerant lines one of which carries liquid refrigerant between the sections and the other of which carries refrigerant vapor. In the case of a heat pump, the role of the refrigerant lines can be reversed in response to the mode of operation that is selected by the user. Heretofore, split systems were shipped into the field in an uncharged condition and as a consequence a good deal of time had to be spent by the installer making the necessary refrigerant line connections as well as charging the system with refrigerant and testing the system for leaks.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to improve split air conditioning systems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a split air conditioning system wherein the outdoor section of the system is pre-charged in the factory prior to shipment into the field.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a service unit for use in a split air conditioning system that will permit the rapid connection of two pre-charged sections of the system in the field.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of time needed to install a split air conditioning system in the field.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained in a split air conditioning unit containing an outdoor section and an indoor section that are connected by a pair of refrigerant lines. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each refrigerant line is connected to a service unit located at the outdoor section. Each unit includes a body member fabricated of a square piece of bar stock. A main channel is bored through opposing sides of the body member and a tube connects one end of the channel to an appropriate line within the outdoor section. A connector is mounted in the other end of the connector for attaching the unit to one of the refrigeration lines. The connector contains a seal that is opened when the connection to the refrigeration line is completed. A process valve for permitting refrigerant to be charged into the outdoor section is also contained within an auxiliary channel that passes through a third wall of the body member and which enters the main channel. The process valve is used to charge the outdoor section of the system in the factory prior to shipment into the field.